The Dancing and the Dreaming
by Kitsune Moonstar
Summary: With all of the craziness done with, Stiles and Derek have settled into a comfortable routine. This is a sequel to Wedding Stiles and The Stuff of Dreams.


Author's Note: I do not own Teen Wolf or its characters. This is set in an alternate universe where Laura and Derek never returned to Beacon Hills, but Peter became a crazy alpha anyway. This is a sequel to Wedding Stiles and The Stuff of Dreams.

* * *

**The Dancing and the Dreaming**

Stiles lets out a happy sigh the moment he gets in the door. It was good to be home. He'd spent the entire morning dealing with a surprise bridezilla, and he was more than happy to be away from the woman.

However, he had exactly one moment of peace and silence before he was attacked.

"Daddy!"

Talia slammed into his knees. Stiles teetered a little. Even five year old werewolves had quite an impact.

"Hey, sweetheart."

"You're home! That means we can make lunch and then I can pick out a movie to watch."

Stiles arched an eyebrow at that. "And why are we watching a movie?"

Talia rolled her eyes at him. "Because it's rainy outside, and Papa says we can't play in the mud today."

"And where is Papa?"

"Right here."

Stiles looked up from Talia to find Derek standing on the staircase. He was barefoot, wearing jeans and a red sweater, and Stiles just wanted to cuddle him.

"Welcome home."

Stiles smiled. "Hey, you."

"What do you want for lunch?"

"Given the weather outside, I'm thinking grilled cheese. How does that sound?"

Talia let out a cheer and practically ran down the hall to the kitchen. Derek just leaned in to kiss Stiles.

"Good meeting?"

Stiles groaned. "Not in the slightest. I have no clue why I agreed to work for the crazy woman."

Derek chuckled. "It might have something to do with the fact that she might be Talia's kindergarten teacher next fall."

"Don't remind me. I can't believe she's starting kindergarten. It doesn't seem possible."

"I know the feeling."

The three of them ended up eating lunch at the counter perched on bar stools. Talia chattered on about her day so far, and Stiles shook his head in disbelief. He'd known Derek and Talia for over a year now. When he'd first met them, he'd never imagined that he'd get to have this. That he'd have a family. Not just a partner, but a precious little girl as well. Derek had been a client and off limits. Now, just a little over a year later, Stiles is both dating and living with Derek. It's a little overwhelming if Stiles thinks about it too hard but in a good way.

After lunch, the three of them end up watching How to Train Your Dragon 2. It's not all that surprising. Talia's been on a bit of a dragon kick lately, and she absolutely adored Astrid. Stiles could think of worse role models for little girls. Derek sat on one end of the couch with Stiles curled up beside him. Talia sat on the floor by Derek's feet. Honestly, Stiles didn't really pay too much attention to the movie. He'd seen it enough times now that he knew most of the dialogue by heart. Normally, he'd be messing around on his table, but today Stiles was content to just lean against Derek and snuggle.

His boyfriend wrapped an arm around his shoulders and nuzzled at his temple. Stiles let out a happy sigh. He loved moments like these where they were all together and happy. They didn't last of course. Derek could be extremely grumpy and noncommunicative when immersed in a project. Talia could be fussy and obstinate as only a five year old could be. Stiles knew that he could be easily distracted and often couldn't shut up. He and Derek bickered affectionately most of the time, but they had had a few drop down knock out fights as well. Stiles hated those. They made both him and Derek miserable. But they did happen.

It was worth it though. The fights, the hassles, the little petty annoyances, they were all worth it to Stiles to have this. He had always wanted a home of his own, a family of his own, but after years of seeing his friends get together and having no luck with his own love life, Stiles hadn't been sure it was in the cards for him. Then a surly looking groom with an adorable daughter had been dropped in his lap, and everything had changed. He'd tried not to fall for Derek. Not when he knew that the man was engaged to someone else. It hadn't worked.

Despite his best efforts, Stiles had fallen both for Derek and his daughter. But he hadn't acted on those feelings. Well, not really. They might have influenced some of his actions, but genuine concern for the two of them had also been involved. After all, Kate Argent was bad news for any werewolf.

The soft rumble of Derek's voice pulled Stiles out of his head. With a start, Stiles realized that Derek was singing along with the characters on the screen.

"…and gladly ride the waves of life if you will marry me. No scorching sun nor freezing cold will stop me on my journey if you will promise me your heart and love me for eternity."

Stiles chuckled and snuggled closer. Derek glanced down at him, a blush coloring the tips of his ears red, but he didn't stop singing.

"But I would bring you rings of gold. I'd even sing you poetry, and I would keep you from all harm if you would stay beside me."

Stiles laughed and couldn't help but join in. "I have no use for rings of gold. I care not for your poetry. I only want your hand to hold. I only want you near me."

He dropped out at that point, but Derek kept singing.

"To love, to kiss, to sweetly hold, for the dancing and the dreaming. Through all life's sorrows and delights I'll keep your love beside me. I'll swim and sail on savage seas with ne'er a fear of drowning and gladly ride the waves of life if you will marry me."

Talia rolled her eyes at that. "You two are silly. Now, shh. The good part is coming."

Stiles chuckles, but both he and Derek are silent, so Talia can watch her movie in peace. Once the movie is over, Stiles dragged himself off of the couch to get start on the laundry while Talia ran off to play in her room and Derek returned to his study. He wrinkled his nose when he realized that neither he nor Derek had even bother to sort the laundry this week. Things had been hectic lately with Derek on a deadline for his latest manuscript and Stiles getting ready for a wedding next month, but still. Then again, he probably would be grumpy about the laundry no matter what. It wasn't one of his favorite chores.

Still, it was easy to get caught up in the rhythm of the task at hand. Once the first load was in the washer, Stiles set a timer on his phone and then got to work on neatening up the living room. By the time he's got the first load out of the dryer, it's a little harder to tell that they have a five year old werewolf running around. Stiles settled on the couch to fold laundry with Mythbusters on to keep himself entertained. Talia wandered out to join him.

"Daddy, can we have mac and cheese for dinner?"

Stiles grinned. "Didn't you have a grilled cheese sandwich for lunch?"

"I like cheese."

"We'll see. That's a lot of cheese for one day."

She did sort of have a point. It was the perfect sort of night for mac and cheese. It was still pouring rain out, and the dish would be warm and comforting. Though they would definitely need something else to go with it. And two cheese dishes in one day really was an awful lot. Still, it probably was a good time to start thinking about dinner.

Derek wandered into the living room with that slightly dazed look he always got when he'd been really into his writing.

"What are you two up to?" He rest a gentle hand at the back of Stiles' neck.

"Talking about dinner," he smiled up at Derek. "Talia is thinking about mac and cheese. I thinking something without cheese."

Derek ran his thumb back and forth across Stiles' neck. "What about BLTs?"

Talia perked up at that. "Can I have cheese on mine?"

"One slice of cheddar," Derek said.

"You can't go wrong with bacon in my books," Stiles agreed.

It's a familiar dance as he and Derek move around the kitchen fixing dinner. Derek frying up the bacon while Stiles assembled the rest of the sandwich fixings, slicing tomatoes and an avocado for Derek. Talia helped set the table. Unless they couldn't help it, the three of them tried to eat dinner together at the kitchen table. There were some exceptions to that rule, such as pizza night, but for the most part they managed it. It tended to be one of the best parts of Stiles' day.

They laughed and talked and debated over what to have dessert. There was ice cream and bath time and the obligatory reading of bedtime stories. Thankfully, Talia was good at falling asleep, even if she climbed into their bed in the middle of the night at times. With their little girl in bed, Stiles and Derek found themselves in the kitchen, cleaning up from dinner. The couple worked in companionable silence, washing the dishes. Stiles started chuckling when he realized Derek was humming the tune from earlier.

"Stuck in your head?"

Derek just shrugged, placing the last dish in the drainer. "It's a catchy little tune."

Stiles wasn't that surprised when Derek crept up behind him, wrapping his arms around Stiles' waist. Derek nuzzled at the nape of his neck, pressing kisses to his pulse. Stiles laughed softly.

"You're being a cuddlywolf tonight. Any particular reason?"

To his surprise, Derek just started to sing. "I'll swim and sail on savage seas with ne'er a fear of drowning and gladly ride the waves of life if you will marry me?"

"Der?" His voice was shaking.

Derek turned Stiles so they were facing one another. Stiles stared into a pair of nervous multicolored eyes.

"Marry me, Stiles?"

He didn't even need to think about his answer. He already knew it.

"Yes."

The glow in Derek's eyes had nothing to do with his status as alpha this time. Wrapping his arms around Derek's neck, Stiles closed the distance between them and kissed him. It was warm and sweet, and Stiles couldn't be happier if he tried. Derek broke the kiss, nuzzling his nose against Stiles'.

"Thank you."

"For what?"

"Saying yes? Poking your nose into my business? Being you?"

Stiles laughed. "You don't have to thank me for that. Poking my nose into your business was one of the best decisions I ever made. I wouldn't be nearly as happy if I hadn't."

Derek just kissed him again. "I love you."

"I know." Stiles smiled. "Come on. We have an engagement to celebrate."


End file.
